Culicinae. 27 



Nothing is known of its life-history and habits. The descrip- 

 tion is drawn up from a single perfect 9 taken in the Red Hills 

 to the west of Kingston, in March, 1902. It is allied to C. 

 fatigans, but can be told by the absence of the two thoracic 

 lines. 



14. CULEX FATIGANS. Wiedemann. 



(The Common Tropical or Grey Mosquito.) 



(Auss. Zweiflug. Ins., p. 10, 1828; Mono. Culicid. II., p. 151, 1901.) 



General appearance. Head brown, covered with pale gold- 

 brown to creamy narrow-curved scales, and brownish-black and 

 ochraceous upright forked ones, a faint pale border around the 

 eyes. Thorax brown, covered with pale golden narrow-curved 

 scales with two more or less distinct bare parallel lines in front. 

 Abdomen dark brown to black, with basal white to pale creamy 

 curved bands and white lateral spots. Legs dark brown ; bases 

 of femora and coxae paler, knee spot white and apex of tibiae 

 with a pale spot ; ungues of 9 equal and simple, in the $ the 

 fore and mid unequal, both uniserrated, hind equal and simple ; 

 stem of first fork-cell moderately long. 



Length. 4 *5 to 5*5 mm. 



Subject to much variation in size, venation and colour. 



Geographical distribution. In most tropical and sub-tropical 

 countries and islands, and also spreading into warmer temperate 

 climes. This species and S. fasciata seem to go together. 



Life-history and habits. This is the common household 

 mosquito of the tropics and sub-tropical countries. The larvae 

 are found in all manner of collections of water, especially tubs, 

 barrels, and tanks, and small collections of water, such as bottles, 

 tins, &c. It is closely and intimately connected with man, so 

 closely that it travels with him by sea and land, and in this way 

 is spread from place to place and where it has never before 

 existed. It is strictly nocturnal in habits and seldom appears to 

 feed by day. The eggs are laid in "rafts," just as by C. pipiens. 

 The larvae have not a very long siphon when adult, but when 

 young it is long and thin. On the side the comb consists of 

 eleven spines with five to seven rays. The antennae end in five 

 bristly hairs, and there is a long dense lateral tuft ; the spines of 

 the pecten at the base of the siphon are simple, between fifty and 

 sixty in number. The mentum is broad, and has upright nearly 

 parallel bare sides, the spines of the apical border, which slopes 



